Chapter 2. Neural Connection

The sensation of entering a memory was something not so easily described but it was like being in a constant state of deja vu. As I entered this memory, past and present merged the two becoming indistinguishable. I melded with my past until I was reliving the moment as if it was happening in the present.

I was in bed sleeping until I was startled awake by gunfire, as fast as I bolted up I was being carried away. Hearing gunfire was pretty normal in the area where I lived but this was different, the noise wasn't a distant thing. My mother was carrying me, running as fast as she could with the added weight. Suddenly a shot rang out and I felt a tinge of pain in my arm, my ears were ringing and I could see a lot of blood. We fell to the ground my mother, in her last moments, tucking me under her. In shock, I stayed still not daring to make a single noise. A stream of tears ran down my face as I could feel hot liquid pour out of my mother. I stayed there for a long time, sobbing silently as my mother still hadn't moved, blood completely covering me at this point. My arm was bleeding slightly but It was just a flesh wound, the bullet had barely grazed me.

At some point, I fell asleep, head pounding my face stuffy and puffed from the crying. I lay there for what felt like days until I was sure there was no longer anybody there. my mouth was dry, and my stomach groaned in protest so I moved my mother off of me. after struggling to get out from under her I was able to see the situation for the first time. bodies littered the floor, there were men in uniforms all over the ground. after throwing up whatever was left in my stomach I searched around. I found my father slumped up against a wall. there was a gun in his hand and a gun strapped to his chest via a sling.

My older brother and sister were in each other's arms in their room huddled in the corner dead. At this point, I was in complete shock, my face was expressionless with a stream of tears cascading down it. I gathered the strength and will to find something to eat and drink, the pantry didn't have much in it but I found what scraps I could and scarfed it down. I poured myself a glass of water out of the sink, I gulped it down way too fast choking on it. After recollecting myself I took a more controlled approach and quenched my thirst. I stumbled my way to my room avoiding the slaughter that was our house. I noticed something on one of the men in uniform, they had a patch on their arms of a logo. the logo was of a unique-looking B, I then made my way inside my room. My body was still covered in blood but I didn't seem to notice as I climbed into my bed and screamed myself to sleep in my pillow.

As I passed out from exhaustion the world came back into focus as I awoke on the ground someone calling my name.

"Brian! Brian, hello are you there? C'mon, you've been unresponsive for hours, please be ok!" A voice rang out in my ear.

"Ugh...Hello?" I responded hazily, unsure of what was going on or where I was.

"HEY! You're finally awake, are you okay? You don't sound okay." The familiar voice of Jordan replied in my ear.

I took a minute to gather myself and get up off the ground, I assessed the situation and I slowly remembered what had happened.

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"Ah right the mission, the last thing I remember was a crazy light show and then tremendous pressure and pain in my head," I said more to myself than to Jordan.

"Yeah...about that, what exactly happened Detective? Whatever it is you did there...it may have affected the whole world." Jordan said

"Do you know of anyone else having extreme pressure in their head? I just hope nobody was hurt." I responded as I went back into the warehouse to further assess the situation.

"There have been a few reports and the Bureua has been checking up on them. We have a few people back at the city's headquarters being monitored." Jordan replied as he typed on a keyboard.

"Alright well, I'll give you a quick mission report..." I said, promptly relaying the events as best I could.

"Wow...I don't know what to say, who would have thought Clark had such technology? This all feels like something straight out of fiction." Jordan said

"Yeah well, whatever that red wave of energy was I hope it didn't cause too many problems, but I already suspect this won't be good for me. Especially with my hot streak of failures." I said, already dreading the potential blowback of the situation.

"Either way you definitely did the right thing, who knows what the quote-on-quote supercomputer could have done? It would have been nice to seize the device but, again, who knows what it was capable of if it contained so much energy. Whatever happens, I'll be on your side. I will say there was a bit of panic and casualties as the wave of energy messed with electronics. It was only for a moment but on a worldwide scale, it got a bit hectic." Jordan went on.

I let Jordan ramble on a bit more until he noticed and apologized. It was worrisome that there was a blackout and it caused some mayhem but I knew I was getting fired after this one. My memory of the Bureau would be erased and I would be sent back to a normal life. It was supposed to be a simple arrest but instead, I caused unnecessary damage and killed the perp. Not only that but what could have been a great asset, the device Clark made, was destroyed. Oh well, I've already come to terms with the possibility of being let go.

"I'm coming over right now detective, stay put ill be right there," Jordan said as an engine started and the line disconnected.

I groaned a bit more my head still aching, I palmed my eyes and slapped my face trying to wake myself up. Looking around a bit more at the warehouse, most of it being destroyed, I saw something. Where the machine once stood was an orb of crackling red energy, I would have normally stayed far away from something like this but I got a strange feeling. It was still pretty dark out with the sun only just starting to come out so the red glow of the orb lit up the warehouse in a creepy and eerily manner. As I got closer the feeling intensified, it was like a strange hunger had washed over me a ferocious gluttonous feeling. I was close enough to touch it, mere inches from grabbing it, the feeling was all-encompassing. Right as I was about to grasp it and consume I heard a horn blaring nearby. Jolted by the noise I came to my senses and pulled my hand back.

"how long had I been standing here?" I muttered to myself

Brushing off the event I pushed it aside, the Bureau could deal with this I told myself.

I briskly walked over to the truck, Jordan inside waving out the window. As I got inside I let my guard down and finally relaxed falling asleep from pure exhaustion. My short nap was abruptly interrupted as Jordan shook me awake.

"We're here," Jordan said walking towards the Bureau building.

Shaking off the groggy feeling from a lack of sleep I stepped out of the van and composed myself. walking up to the building I had this sudden urge to look up, Complying out of curiosity I saw the all-familiar logo of The Bureau. The single letter of the logo suddenly jumped out into my mind, flashes of memory started bombarding me as I passed out onto the ground. The last thing in my mind, before unconsciousness took over, was the unique-looking B of the Bureau logo and the grisly scene of the armed soldiers brandishing the very same logo.